AFQY News https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/ The subjects shaping NZ tech leadership. Researched across New Zealand and international sources, written for the people in the room. en-nz Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT CullBeck's $20 million raise shows NZ deep tech can go the distance https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/cullbeck-20m-hydrogen-steelmaking-record-raise/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/cullbeck-20m-hydrogen-steelmaking-record-raise/ Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Wellington spinout CullBeck lands $20m for hydrogen steelmaking, reported as the largest first raise by a New Zealand deep tech company. Strategy Xero and Revolut team up to smooth the road for Kiwi exporters https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/xero-revolut-business-cross-border-finance/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/xero-revolut-business-cross-border-finance/ Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Xero and Revolut Business launch a two-way integration in NZ, syncing multi-currency banking and bills for exporters and online sellers. Cloud Treat connectivity like water, TUANZ says, to close the digital divide https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/tuanz-connectivity-essential-infrastructure/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/tuanz-connectivity-essential-infrastructure/ Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Tech Users Association wants connectivity recognised as essential infrastructure, with one in ten New Zealand households still offline despite world-leading fibre. Strategy TUANZ wants security by design, not security only for those who can afford it https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/tuanz-security-by-design-accountability/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/tuanz-security-by-design-accountability/ Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Tech Users Association is calling for enforceable cyber rules and system-level accountability, arguing individuals and small businesses can no longer carry the risk alone. Security Chloe Kyrke-Smith joins Tax Traders as Head of Product https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/chloe-kyrke-smith-tax-traders-head-of-product/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/chloe-kyrke-smith-tax-traders-head-of-product/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The New Zealand tax pooling fintech has appointed a senior product leader from Xero, Flick Electric and Blackpearl to guide its next stage of growth across Tax Traders and Taxi. People The Kiwi at the heart of a US$1.45 billion AI bet https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/kiwi-cofounded-odyssey-ai-billion-dollar-bet/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/kiwi-cofounded-odyssey-ai-billion-dollar-bet/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Auckland-raised Jeff Hawke's Odyssey lands US$310m with NZ money aboard, while a wave of Auckland AI seed rounds rides in behind it. AI Matthew Flatt joins Inde to lead its data practice https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/matthew-flatt-inde-technical-director-data/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/matthew-flatt-inde-technical-director-data/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Christchurch technology firm Inde has appointed Matthew Flatt, formerly of PGG Wrightson, as Technical Director of Data, Intelligence and Architecture. People One NZ turns to its finance chief: Nick Judd named CEO as Jason Paris departs https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/nick-judd-one-nz-ceo/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/nick-judd-one-nz-ceo/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT One NZ has appointed chief financial officer Nick Judd as its next chief executive, with Jason Paris stepping down after nearly eight years at the helm. People The $70 Million AI Push Begins: NZIAT Funding Goes Live This Month https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/nziat-70-million-ai-research-platform-funding-begins/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/nziat-70-million-ai-research-platform-funding-begins/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT NZIAT's seven-year, up-to-$70m AI research platform reaches its July 2026 funding start, with five heavyweight Kiwi consortia in the running. AI Steve Bush takes the helm at Tait Systems NZ for the emergency network build https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/steve-bush-tait-systems-ceo/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/steve-bush-tait-systems-ceo/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Telecommunications veteran Steve Bush has become chief executive of Christchurch-based Tait Systems NZ, stepping in to steer the final stretch of New Zealand's Public Safety Network radio rollout. People Kēhua wants to end ghosting in recruitment, and it is very NZ that it exists https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/kehua-ghosting-ends-here/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/kehua-ghosting-ends-here/ Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A New Zealand built platform named after the Māori word for ghost is taking on recruitment's worst habit: leaving candidates in silence. Talent The applause for AI pilots has stopped. Now boards want the money https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/ai-pilots-to-payoff/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/ai-pilots-to-payoff/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT AI pilots are stalling worldwide while boards demand hard returns. What the shift to proof means for NZ tech leaders. AI The CIO job has quietly become a different job https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/cio-role-redefined/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/cio-role-redefined/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The CIO role is shifting from IT operator to enterprise leader: bigger remits, CEO ambitions, new rival titles and real burnout pressure. Strategy The cloud bill just became a board conversation https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/cloud-costs-finops/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/cloud-costs-finops/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT AI workloads are pushing cloud costs up and FinOps into the C-suite. What the 2026 numbers mean for NZ tech leaders. Cloud When the voice on the call is not your CFO https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/cyber-resilience-ai-threats/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/cyber-resilience-ai-threats/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT AI has made phishing fluent and faces fakeable. What NZ's latest threat data says, and how the board conversation on cyber resilience is shifting. Security The cloud has come home. Sovereignty is still deciding where it lives. https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/data-sovereignty-nz-cloud/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/data-sovereignty-nz-cloud/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT AWS and Microsoft now run full cloud regions in Auckland. What onshore hyperscale changes for government, regulated sectors and Māori data sovereignty. Cloud When one vendor sneezes: two years of big outages and the new resilience conversation https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/digital-resilience-concentration-risk/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/digital-resilience-concentration-risk/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two years on from CrowdStrike, major outages keep proving the point: concentration risk is systemic, and boards now want resilience, not uptime. Security The tech debt reckoning: why legacy modernisation stopped being optional https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/legacy-modernisation-tech-debt/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/legacy-modernisation-tech-debt/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT AI ambitions, security exposure and retiring skills are forcing the legacy question. What the numbers say, and what NZ can learn from its own wins. Strategy Light touch, heavy calendar: the new privacy and AI rules facing NZ tech leaders https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/privacy-ai-regulation/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/privacy-ai-regulation/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT New privacy and AI rules are landing at home and abroad. What IPP3A, the Biometric Code and the EU AI Act mean for NZ tech leaders. Strategy Proving tech ROI when every dollar gets a second look https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/proving-roi-tight-economy/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/proving-roi-tight-economy/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT NZ's recovery is fragile, global IT spend is booming elsewhere, and Kiwi tech leaders are being asked to prove every dollar. What the numbers say. Strategy The talent squeeze has changed shape, not gone away https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/tech-talent-squeeze/ https://www.afewquietyarns.co.nz/news/tech-talent-squeeze/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT NZ tech talent in 2026: fewer people leaving, a two-speed salary market, scarce AI and security skills, and a squeezed graduate pipeline. Talent